In my most recent blog post, I wrote about how initial communications with editors are important in forging those editor/writer relationships. From those initial emails, we get a sense of what type of client you'll be.

But there was an aspect to those initial communications that I had alluded to but didn't say. The truth of the matter: editors talk to one another.

We have support networks of our own, and we will lean on each other for support. And we talk to one another about our clients—both the good and the bad.

A good editor would never give out identifying information without the client's permission, but if we encounter a problematic client, we will seek advice from the collective brain trust on what to do. And if we encounter a client who is the client from hell, the red flags are sent throughout the editing community.

I have seen many of these red-flag posts over the years.

But there is a flip side to this too. For those clients who are lovely to work with, we'll bend over backwards to help in whatever way we can. If we're unable to fit them into our schedules, or if we don't work with their genres, we'll help them find another editor. And when our clients have books that are coming out, we will help spread the word.

If you're reading this post, I'm hoping that you want to be classified as a client we editors bend over backwards for. Well, here's how to get onto that list.

BE NICE.

PAY YOUR BILL.

It's that simple.